JAMAL CRAWFORD SAYS MODERN BASKETBALL TRAINERS ARE "HURTING THE FUTURE GENERATION" BECAUSE OF ONE KEY REASON
Jamal Crawford is a former Michigan Wolverines point guard/shooting guard who became a top ten NBA pick before playing over 1,300 NBA games for nine different NBA teams, last playing for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019-2020.
Crawford did not make an NBA All-Star team or win an NBA championship but he retired with three Sixth Man of the Year Award trophies to his name, earning the nickname "J-Crossover" for his controlled and devastating crossover dribble moves on the court.
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Crawford took to X in the early hours of the morning on Sunday, July 1 to spotlight a problem he says needs fixing among basketball coaches and trainers at the youth league level.
"This one goes out to the trainers that are charging kids and families on an hourly basis, but teaching the youth the WRONG thing," Crawford said.
"Parents you are hiring these trainers to further your young person's basketball potential. BUT....Some of what is being taught, would NEVER be used in a real high level game," Crawford added.
"And if it is used, it is used for 1% of players in the world even at the highest level."
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Crawford said that all of the extra gym time and training with coaches is a good thing, but cautioned parents that all that fancy stuff being taught is just one small part of what it takes to become a high level high school, college, and eventually NBA or professional basketball player.
"The youth are being taught a 'bag' when most high level coaches want to know if on offense you can play a high level close out, can you go from a good shot to great shot with high level basketball IQ, can you make quick decisions...How you function with a team."
Crawford concluded by saying that coaches are hurting today's young players with their "bag" mentality, a slang word for signature and special moves that are used in the game of basketball apart from the fundamentals that are used the vast majority of the time.
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"You wind up having players that are big earlier, and they bring it up and they do all this fancy crap and they don't know how to post. They don't know the fundamentals of the game."